Chapter 87 - 88: One Must Be Honest in Business

Chapter 87: Chapter 88: One Must Be Honest in Business

"With the kind of vision Boss Chen has, any branch pond he opens would be fully kitted out — fishing there would be an absolute dream~"

It wasn’t just Chen Yuan thinking about the Old Pond — the anglers all hoped he’d go ahead and take it over.

His vision spoke for itself. Would the Old Pond ever be run the same way under his hands as it had been under Zhou Jianming’s?

Fishing on a big stretch of water would be a whole different level of enjoyment.

"He just signed the lease contract, so he’s still got plenty of moves to make. Don’t go getting your eyes on the Old Pond just yet — our little pond here is nothing to sneeze at either~"

Chen Yuan said with a grin.

Before you’ve achieved your goal, the last thing you want to do is let your intentions slip — all that does is show your hand and give your opponent an opening.

The Old Pond was something he could only think about in private. He couldn’t let anyone else know.

Especially the villagers.

And especially Zhou Jianming and his wife.

"Did Boss Chen make a call or something? That bastard owner caved the second he picked up the phone."

"Ha, turns out Boss Chen really did make a call~"

Someone in the group chat was asking, and someone at the pond chimed back in.

The group chat erupted.

"That’s Boss Chen for you — is there anything one phone call can’t fix?"

"Around Yu City Village, Boss Chen’s name carries serious weight."

"Wherever Boss Chen’s around, you can fish without a worry~"

Some were teasing, some were just messing around.

The vibe in the group chat was great.

Chen Yuan knew full well it was Uncle Bin who’d stepped in. Around Yu City Village, Uncle Bin was the one who really held things together.

"Boss Chen, I grabbed a spot for the night fishing session at your place. Too lazy to head back at this hour anyway — plus I already ordered lunch. Mind if I just come over and hang for a bit?"

Chen Yuan’s phone buzzed with a WeChat notification.

"No problem at all, come on over~"

Chen Yuan fired back without hesitation.

He pocketed his phone, hopped down the small slope, and headed back. With the anglers from the Old Pond on their way over, there’d definitely be catches to deal with.

He was already reaching for the ignition when he suddenly stopped, thought for a moment, and hit the button to activate the Fish King.

It was nearly eleven. By the time the anglers finished battling the Fish King, it’d be right around lunch. No major plans for the afternoon — everyone could take a breather.

As for photos, those enthusiastic anglers would definitely handle it. And if not, there was always the security footage. Nothing to worry about.

He wasn’t even through the courtyard gate when he heard his parents laughing in the kitchen. They sounded like they were in a great mood.

"What are you two so happy about?"

Chen Yuan walked into the courtyard and headed straight for the kitchen. It was just his parents in there. From the look of things, lunch was shaping up to be a decent spread — Liu Fang had been sent over to help out at his auntie’s place again.

"Zhou Jianming, that son of a bitch, couldn’t hack it anymore."

Chen Jun grinned from ear to ear.

So that was it.

Chen Yuan shrugged, not particularly interested.

His parents had probably been checking their phones whenever they had a free moment, keeping an eye on the fishing group chat. They’d have seen the news about the Old Pond shutting down, and naturally their mood had lifted.

But Chen Yuan kept his thoughts to himself.

The older generation’s business was theirs — he wasn’t going to wade into it.

"Zhou Jianming does have some skill. But running a fishing pond ties up your whole workforce in the village, and you’re bleeding over two hundred yuan a day just by waking up. The way he ran that place, I’d estimate he’s down at least ten thousand. Nobody could stomach that."

Objectively speaking, Zhou Jianming had at least been decisive about pulling the plug — otherwise the losses would have been even worse.

"That much of a loss?"

Chen Jun and Tang Ying were both taken aback.

They knew Zhou Jianming and his wife had been shady operators — the whole boxed meal fiasco made it obvious they couldn’t last long — but as for the actual numbers, they genuinely had no idea.

Not even three full days. Less than two and a half, really. How had he bled that much so fast?

"If anything, that’s a conservative estimate."

Chen Yuan gave a quiet laugh.

Farmers who raise fish always cram as many in as they can — they’d stuff the pond to the brim if they could. You can imagine what the stock at the Old Pond was like. And the fish weren’t small either — plenty of them pushing fifteen, twenty pounds.

Once you put Wang Heng and his crew on it, they’d haul in a hundred pounds just off a handful of fish.

Between Wang Heng and the other big names alone, they probably pulled eight hundred to a thousand pounds. Add in all the other anglers landing fish, and ten thousand in losses was actually on the low end.

"Looks like the fishing pond business really isn’t for everyone."

Chen Jun felt a wave of relief. Their own pond was doing reasonably well, but if things had gone the way Zhou Jianming’s had, fifty thousand yuan could vanish in a matter of days.

"That’s exactly why you have to run an honest business."

Tang Ying said with a sigh, then turned to look at Chen Yuan. "We don’t know the ins and outs of the fishing pond business, so you steer the ship. But whatever you put us in charge of, we’ll do it right."

"When the family works together, there’s nothing we can’t cut through~"

Chen Yuan burst out laughing.

"Boss Chen~"

They’d barely exchanged a few more words when someone called out from outside.

Chen Yuan jogged out of the kitchen to find more than ten anglers making their way over — they were already at the courtyard gate.

"Get in here~"

Chen Yuan waved the anglers inside to rest in the main room, flicked on the fan, and went around offering everyone a Hua cigarette.

The smokers took one, the non-smokers said thanks and waved it off — either way, nobody stood on ceremony.

"Boss Chen, grab us something to drink first — Coke, and make it ice cold~"

Whether it was their first time or they were regulars, nobody held back. They’d practically help themselves to the fridge if they could.

"What about your catch? Want me to get a keep net so you can keep them alive?"

Chen Yuan opened the fridge and grabbed the drinks, tossing out the question as he did.

"Ha, no need — we already sold everything."

The anglers laughed.

"You sold it?"

Chen Yuan was a little surprised.

"The pro called in a fish buyer. Price was decent, so we just let it all go."

"Got the night session tonight anyway — couldn’t be bothered hauling the catch around. Price was right, so we cashed out on the spot. Nothing wrong with walking away with money in hand."

The anglers cracked open their Cokes and chatted between sips.

Chen Yuan got the picture.

Wang Heng’s circle always sorted their buyers in advance. Sure, today’s haul fell a bit short of what they’d probably expected, but with over a dozen anglers at the pond combined, it still added up to a few hundred pounds.

"The pros didn’t come along with you?"

Chen Yuan lit up a cigarette.

"They rode with the truck. Probably got other things going on."

It was barely eleven o’clock back then — still time to head somewhere else and keep fishing. For guys like that, time was money.

"Take it easy for a bit — lunch should be ready soon. Want me to put on some TV?"

Chen Yuan stood up and grabbed the remote, figuring he’d put something on for the anglers.

The main room did have a TV — the equivalent of a living room in the city. People would watch it while eating or doing odd jobs around the house.

"Ha, no thanks — who watches TV when everyone’s got a phone?"

"The TV at home is basically just furniture at this point. Mainly good for putting on cartoons for the kids~"

The anglers laughed it off and declined, everyone already reaching for their phones.

There was some truth to that. TV just wasn’t what it used to be — paywall after paywall, just trying to watch something had become a whole ordeal.

With smartphones everywhere, most adults barely touched the TV anymore.

"Holy shit, someone’s hooked the Fish King~"

Barely a moment after pulling out their phones, one of the anglers leaped up and hollered. All ten-plus of them snapped to attention instantly, like someone had lit a fire under them.

Every one of them was glued to the fishing group chat.

Watching to see if it had been landed yet.

Chen Yuan wasn’t the least bit surprised. He’d activated the Fish King right when he got back — someone had definitely hooked it by now. They were probably dozens of rounds deep into the fight at this point.

"Why are we just sitting here losing our minds?! Let’s go to the pond~"

One angler suddenly slapped his forehead, and the rest snapped out of it one by one. They had no fish to catch, they were sitting in Boss Chen’s house — what was the point of staring at their phones?

Why not go see it in person?

Wasn’t it way more exciting to watch the Fish King get landed right in front of your eyes?

"I’ll give you a lift~"

Chen Yuan capped his Coke and set it on top of the fridge. He needed to head over anyway to collect the comeback reward, so if the anglers were this pumped up, they might as well all go together.

"No no, it’s just a short walk — we’ll be there in no time~"

The ones who’d been before knew the way, and they also knew the three-wheeler couldn’t fit everyone. They bolted straight for the door, and every single angler followed at a run.

Never mind anglers — even an ordinary person who heard someone had hooked a fish weighing over a hundred pounds would stop to watch.

Would they get it up? How big was this thing?

The only reason anyone would walk away disappointed was if the fish threw the hook.

Since the anglers had already taken off on foot, Chen Yuan didn’t say a word — just called out a quick goodbye to his parents, hopped on the three-wheeler, and buzzed straight for the pond.

"It’s coming up, it’s coming up~"

He could hear the excited hollering well before he arrived.

Chen Yuan turned the three-wheeler around and sat on it, lighting a cigarette. The Fish King had only just broken the surface — there was still a little time before they’d get the net under it. Plenty of time to smoke and count out the prize money.

"Get the landing net — the big one!"

"Pull it in a little closer, can’t quite reach~"

"There we go — okay, give it some slack~"

The whole crowd of anglers was buzzing with excitement. After a good while, they finally got the net under the Fish King and hauled it up onto the bank together.